A furious effort by Liz Cheney to label seven Justice Department lawyers who previously defended Guantanamo detainees as terrorist sympathizers appears so contrary to the American legal tradition that it puts her at odds with the man responsible for getting her father elected vice president.
Back in January 2007, Ted Olson -- then a lawyer in private practice but previously a lead counsel in Bush v. Gore and solicitor general of the United States -- co-authored a short article for Legal Times in which he called efforts to demonize detainee defense lawyers as antithetical to American values.
"The ethos of the bar is built on the idea that lawyers will represent both the popular and the unpopular, so that everyone has access to justice. Despite the horrible Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, this is still proudly held as a basic tenet of our profession," Olson wrote.
(Full article)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/04/liz-cheneys-attack-on-al_n_485329.html
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIxg7LmlEQg&feature=player_embedded
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Comments: 34
People accused of terrorism and treason don't deserve to have defense lawyers. They don't deserve fair trials. In fact, they don't deserve trials at all. They should be assumed guilty and executed immediately. It's the only way we can preserve the American way of life that we hold so dear.
I just HATE it when people presume things by using 'we' indiscriminately!
Is there another web site that should be under some kind of special WATCH or did you speak before you thought?
The thing is, it's hard to say anything so over-the-top that it's clear that it isn't meant to be taken seriously. There are just too many people saying stuff like that who really mean it.
If "Western Civilization" is going to be something respectable and not another slogan for Racists, then "Western Civilization" should stand for :
Habeas Corpus for All Human Beings, irrespective of nationality or race, and wherever they are. People should not be abusively detained forever.
Respect for Defense Lawyers.
Equality under the law : The color, nationality, or legal status of the person killed and the color of the perpetrator should not influence the outcome of a trial.
When these principle are systematically violated, then "Western Civilization" becomes another idiotic slogan for Jingos, Chauvinistic Ubernationalists, Racists and Bigots.
And Remember that "Western Civilization" is based on what others that are brutally excluded of "Western Civilization" invented several thousands of years ago.
At the end of the game this topic of "Justice" for "Terrorists" is enmeshed in a lot of Racism.
Youth, Minorities, Politics :
Milenials.com
Vicente Duque
I have a pretty long history with Wil here on Gather and I'll be the first to say that I disagree with him on most issues. However in this case, he is spot on.
Think about it. If the detainees are denied defense lawers, how long will it be before we are denied such rights? And how long will it be before we are detained for writing such as ' Our Government is Broken and Needs to be Fixed' ?
But then again, Liz, Dick, Karl and GWB...well...you get the idea.
Good point, Tim. One of the dangers of denying such basic rights to "them" (whoever "them" might happen to be) is that you might find yourself in a pretty bad situation if somebody decides that you're a "them", too.
"And how long will it be before we are detained for writing such as ' Our Government is Broken and Needs to be Fixed' ?"
I can't say it's something I worry about happening any time in the foreseeable future (I complain about several different governments on a daily basis, and I'm not spending much time looking over my shoulder to see who's coming after me), but if it turns out I do have to deal with the police, I definitely want access to a lawyer.
In reality, Cheney made a career of politics as a bureaucratic infighter. That was his only talent. Does not make him a statesman.